Hamlet: Characters

Prince of Denmark; father was killed; melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle and disgust at his mother for marrying him

Claudius

King of Denmark and Hamlet's uncle; marry's his brother's wife after he died; calculating, ambitious politician, adept at manipulating others for his own ends and willing to execute, assassinate, or murder to stay in power

Gertrude

Queen of Denmark; Hamlet's mother; married Claudius; Hamlet sees her as a weak, even depraved, woman motivated wholly by lustHamlet sees her as a weak, even depraved, woman motivated wholly by lust

Polonius

The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia

Horatio

Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the University of Wittenberg. Hamlet trusts Horatio above any of the other characters; After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.

Ophelia

Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love; when her father dies, her sanity unravels, and in her madness she paints a scathing picture of young men as sexually exploitative and unfaithful

Laertes

Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is a foil for the reflective and agonized Hamlet

Fortinbras

The young prince of Norway, whose father was killed by Hamlet’s father. Now he wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet. Hamlet admires Fortinbras for his willingness to fight for no reason

The Ghost

The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior.

Osric

The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes. His speeches are pretentious and difficult to understand.

Voltimand are Cornelius

Courtiers whom Claudius sends to Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking

Marcellus and Barnardo

The officers who first see the ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it. Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost

Francisco

A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore

Reynaldo

Polonius’s servant, sent to France by Polonius to check up on and spy on Laertes